Q6600 underclocked when it shouldn't be

[samsonite789]

I have a Q6600 at 2.4Ghz, but as of late I've noticed that it's only being rated at 1.6Mhz. I tried restarting my comp several times, but both AI Suite and CPU-Z tell me the processor is at 1.6Mhz. It wasn't like this before, but I recently installed a 4870x2 graphics card which is a power hog, so I'm wondering if the CPU is paring down power. However, I have a 750w power supply, so I don't see why it would. Also, I have an ASUS motherboard with an onboard EPU kind of thing which might be saving CPU power...but it didn't do this before...does anyone know how I can get my processor working like it should?

I'm also noticing that my RAM, which is DDR2 at 1066Mhz, only shows up in CPU-Z with a DRAM frequency of 400 Mhz. Is this correct?

My system specs:
Q6600 2.4ghz 1066fsb
4gb 1066Mhz DDR2 G.Skill RAM
ASUS P5E motherboard
PC P&C 750w Silencer PSU
Visiontek HD4870x2 GFX Card
500gb Seagate Barracuda HD

[geokilla]

EIST kicking in. Put your CPU under load and it should go back to 2.4GHz.

[InspectahACE]

Agreed..check your C1E setting in the bios too and disable it..EIST alone may not fix it( i had that issue 2 days ago)..and for your ram...you may need to manually set the timings/ clock speeds..but when you do, make sure theres enough voltage to run at those speeds..some motherboards don't automatically set the speeds/voltages on ram..up the voltage to about 2v to about 2.2v and set the ram speed and you should be set..and IF you are using 4 sticks of ram...you would also be wise to up thet voltage based on just that..so the ram doesn't get too starved of power..that and it should clear up any stability issues you might have..( if you are using a 4x1GB stick setup)

[samsonite789]

Great! I went into the BIOS, saw the Intel Speedstep Technology, and disabled it. Processor is at 2.4Ghz constant like I want it. Thanks!

As for the RAM timings...how do I make sure there's enough voltage? Also, is it 2v or 2.2v I should set it to? I'm using 2x2gb sticks, by the way, if that changes anything.

[Methious]

To tell the exact setting for the Ram Voltage you'd need to post the part number of the kit. It's usually between 2.0 and 2.2 on a 1066 kit of ddr2. Depends on the timings of the kit, tighter timings usually mean higher voltage.

If you can't find the kit number run Prime 95 for an hour or so and if it doesn't fail it's good to go. Another method is to run Memtest 86 from a bootable CD, if it throws errors there it needs a tad more voltage (or one of the sticks is bad, since it's running I wouldn't think one is bad though).

Easiest way is on the ram stick itself there's usually a long number (on the little sticker) post that number and some one will tell you the voltage.

[samsonite789]

Cool, man. I checked out the specs (G.Skill 1066 DDR2 2x2GB) and it said 2.0-2.1V. I've recently overclocked my processor to 3Ghz and I've set my DRAM Voltage to 2.1. However, in my ASUS Suite program, it says that Memory voltage is 2.5ish, which would fry the damn things right away, right? Things seem to be fine though. I haven't run any tests yet. It seems like an error because I set the voltage correctly in the bios. Is there any other program or way to see DRAM Voltage?